From the Dean's Desk
Marilyn M. Lauria, R.N. Ed.D.

On behalf of the faculty and staff of the School of Nursing, I would like to offer our readers many good wishes for the coming year. I hope you like the revised look of our newsletter. It was designed by our new editor, Barbara Paskewich.

This has been an eventful year for the Monmouth University School of Nursing and Health Studies as well as for the entire Nursing community. In January, because NJ doesn’t have the position of Lieutenant Governor, Senate Co-chair John Bennett (a member of the School of Nursing Advisory Council since it’s inception) was Governor of N.J. His wife Margaret (Peg) Bennett a Monmouth University BSN & MSN alumna was First Lady. On January 9, First Lady, Peg Bennett held a luncheon “In Celebration of Nursing” at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s Mansion. I served on the planning committee and attended this event as a representative of the University. Many distinguished members of the nursing community were in attendance.

On January 11, we were pleased to host a luncheon to honor Margaret Bennett, at Monmouth University. Members of the University Board of Trustees, representatives of the Nursing Advisory Council, and the Nursing Faculty attended this program.

I am pleased to announce several new graduate programs for the year 2002. We have received approval to offer these additional tracks in our MSN program; School Nursing, Nursing Education, and Forensic Nursing. In addition we will be offering a post MSN certificate in Nursing Education and a graduate certificate (post baccalaureate) in Forensic Nursing.

The faculty and staff have done extensive research and developed curricula that we believe will offer our students a positive learning experience in a worthy area of study. There is strong interest in the MSN programs and a need for both School Nurses and Nurse Educators. Forensic Nursing is an emerging field of Nursing studies. We will have the distinction of being the only University in the region to offer this specialized program.

In addition to the new Nursing programs, the School of Nursing is exploring the possibility of offering a new undergraduate Major, a BS in Health Studies for non- nurses. The foundation of Health Studies will focus on the relationship between lifestyle and health and the importance of disease prevention. We have developed a survey which will be administered by the research firm, Kane - Parsons. This will provide us with some idea about the level of interest in this area of study. We will keep you updated with our progress in this area.

There appears to be a heightened awareness and focus on Nursing Education. We have seen increasing enrollment in our MSN programs and the School Nurse Certificate. Our Continuing Education programs have steady attendance with waiting lists for several classes. Both Brookdale Community College and Ocean County College report increasing Nursing enrollment this year. I hope this is an indication that the Nursing Shortage is beginning to turn around.